Mundelein trustee facing DUI charges

A Mundelein trustee is facing DUI charges stemming from an arrest last week, authorities said Tuesday.

Jim Nutschnig, 61, was arrested early Nov. 13 in Vernon Hills. He was charged with driving under the influence and improper lane usage, both misdemeanors.

Nutschnig, a trustee since 1991, called the arrest an "unfortunate incident." He confirmed he was at a Mundelein bar with another trustee, Ed Sullivan, before his arrest but said he was on his way home from a grocery store when he was stopped by Vernon Hills police.

He declined to comment further.

Some of Nutschnig's fellow trustees said they were shocked by his arrest. In a prepared statement, Mayor Kenneth H. Kessler praised Nutschnig's civic service and said that work "is not diminished or changed by this incident."

Nutschnig was arrested about 12:15 a.m. on Route 60 near Aspen Drive, police said. The traffic stop came a few hours after a Monday night village board meeting, and after he met Sullivan for drinks at a bar on Route 45.

The officer stopped Nutschnig, who was driving a 2002 Buick LeSabre, because he was weaving, police said.

Nutschnig took several field sobriety tests but refused to take a breath test on the road or at the police station after he was arrested, Cmdr. Dianne Wesley said.

Nutschnig was released after posting $100 bond and turning over his driver's license, police said. Police drove him home, Wesley said.

Nutschnig is scheduled to appear in Lake County circuit court in Waukegan Dec. 19.

Kessler said he learned of Nutschnig's arrest Tuesday morning during a conversation with the veteran trustee, who won re-election in 2005.

"It's unfortunate that this happened," Kessler said.